The Ghost Among Us
by VenomSnake223
Summary: Rainbow Six is regarded as the best counter-terrorist organization in the 21st century. But their next threat is beyond anything they had faced. Enemies with technologies light years away from them. But it is nothing but a bloody chapter for them.
1. Introduction

Introduction

Ever since humans able to walk upright. They began to learn how to survive in this cruel world. They use their bows and spears to hunt and sport, but it was a matter of time before they start using it on each other. From stick and stones to ICBMs, there is no difference between now and then.

Only this time, they have a different purpose to fight. To protect their countries and loved ones. To protect the innocent from the hungry hands of harm. Such guardians are Team Rainbow. With highly trained operators collected from different parts of the world who agreed to set everything aside and came together as one to fight a much greater threat.

However, their next enemy is much greater than them. With soldiers equipped with technologies light years away from the most powerful military on Earth. Surely it will be the end of Rainbow Six. But it was just another bloody chapter for the group.

You are a CEO of a PMC called Ghost Corp. You are hired by various clients all over the world to do dangerous jobs that no sane man will take.


	2. Chapter 1: Recruitment

**_Mother Base_**

 ** _0900 Hours_**

*RING-RING*

The sound of a phone ringing woke a woman from her beauty sleep. With annoyance and curiosity, she gets up anyway and checks the caller ID. Unknown it says. She tries to put on her best voice, even though her head and body haven't fully come to.

"Lightning Farron." the woman responded simply and short.

"Ms. Farron, my name is Director Six, I am the commanding officer of Rainbow Six. I am sure you've heard of us", said another woman from the other side of the phone.

Lightning recognizes her name and was met with even more curiosity.

"Rainbow? That counterterrorism group. How can we help you?" Lightning asked.

"Rainbow Six is always looking for new members and we would like to hire one of your own, The Ghost." Lightning was slightly surprised, her friend is now requested to join the prestigious Rainbow Six. But it doesn't matter, Ghost is away on a mission.

"Ghost is currently unavailable right now, but I will notify him to arrange a meeting with you. How about tomorrow?"

"That will be great; I look forward to working with The Ghost."

After a few minutes of conversation, Lightning had to inform his friend and boss, Ghost. However, she couldn't contact him as he was still on a mission and the only way to contact him was through the base's radio, located at the Intelligence offices on the Intel Platform of Ghost Corp's Mother Base.

Lightning gets up from her bed and went to shower. She strips from her pajamas and steps into the shower. She turns the handle and moans in pleasure, as her skin was blessed when it came to contact with the warm flowing water. She picks up a soap and scrubs her body with it. It smelled something like a collection of berries. Earning her half of the men in Mother Base crushing on her. She picks up a shampoo bottle and squeezes an amount onto her hand. She gently applies it to her rose-colored hair. It works almost immediately and it strengthens her hair. From curly and messy, it turned into beautiful straight. She was the pride and joy of Ghost's corp. When she's done, she brushes her teeth. She made sure to get all corners of her mouth including her tongue. She spits the toothpaste and washes her mouth with tap water. She smiled at the mirror. A semi-bright light illuminates from her mouth.

 _"_ _Nice."_ She admired herself in her mind.

She wraps her body with a towel and gets out of the bathroom and into her bedroom-slash-office. She opens the wardrobe and picks up a standard issue army T-shirt and combat pants with boots. She puts on the said clothing and heads off to start her day.

It was a sunny day in Mother Base. The rippling, enchanting sounds of the ocean wave colliding with the support struts. Soldiers marching while singing to boost their spirit and emotion. And of course the distant cries of seagulls. Lightning took a minute and admired the view. How vast the company has become. From an abandoned oil rig to a massive base that can host nearly 4000 soldiers complete with its own airfield, right in the center of the Indian Ocean.

She climbed down the stairs and onto the main ground level. Any soldiers who came across her salute her before continuing on their daily tasks. She was about to get onto a jeep when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Light!"

A man with white hair and masculine body, waves at her from a distance. He runs to her still with his bag in tow.

"Snow, you're back!" Lightning hugs her brother-in-law. "When did you come back?"

"I just got here a while ago. I was looking around for my wife but I can't seem to find her." Said Snow

Lightning giggled at his response.

"What, you knocked your head with a rock or something? Serah's at the Medical Platform. Jeez, you were only out for 3 months!" Said Lightning as she lightly punches his abs.

"Oh yeah, heh I was drinking during my leave, pardon me for being forgetful,"

Snow's answer earns him a terrifying glare from Lightning.

"If you cheat on my sister-slash-your wife, I will not hesitate to eradicate your ass from this world." Lightning's words slightly terrified Snow.

"Chill is, I would never do such thing. Cross my heart." Snow crosses his chest as a sign of promise.

"Good, why don't you get some rest. I'll let Serah know you're back." Lightning was about to turn and leave but then snow called for her again.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Oh, I gotta contact Ghost. He's getting hired for that international spec ops, Rainbow Six, lucky bastard."

"Ah Let me accompany you to the Intel Platform then." immediately, Snow raced to the driver's seat of a jeep parked near the bridge for faster transport.

Snow turn on the engine and motioned Lightning to get on the jeep. She gets into the passenger's seat and makes herself comfortable. They both continue to converse during the ride. Talked about where he has been to during his vacation.

He has been on a Europe trip for 3 months. Due to the injury, he got 3 months prior. Lightning felt h, gave him the slip and a check for an extended period of vacation.

After a minute they reached the Intel Platform. Lightning embraced her brother-in-law one more time to welcome him back.

Snow was the kind of person who is annoying and talk too much. But he was her brother in law. She constantly reminds herself that, and she would always accept him and love him as who he is.

She then continued her way unto the communications office of the Intel Platform. When she entered the room, the soldiers operating the room immediately saluted their commanding officer.

"Good morning ma'am." greeted one of the operators.

"Morning. Get me The Ghost." Lightning ordered

"Roger that." The radio operator swiftly followed her command.

The operators pressed a cluster of buttons and dials, and in an instant, he gave a thumbs up to Lightning.

 ** _New York, USA_**

Ghost was watching a little girl playing a mobile game on her phone, between now and then he makes comments on how she was doing in the game. Out of the blue, his radio received a series of signals.

"Ghost, this is Mother Base. come in, over," said Lightning, on the other side of the radio.

"This is Ghost, reading you loud and clear," he replied.

"Is the mission complete?"

"Affirmative, the girl is secured. We're still waiting for her parents."

"Glad to hear that Ghost. Head to the extraction point once you're done, you got another contract. A potential long-term one."

Ghost is tired and he's already got another contract, but a long-term contract means bigger rewards.

"Who's hiring?"

"Director Six of Rainbow Six. We're talking about a 12-month contract."

Ghost opens his mouth in shock. The news startled him. He had been following Rainbow Six's operations around the world. Top-tier operators around the world, fighting under a single banner against terrorism. A noble goal instead of his, that is fighting for money.

"Rainbow Six? Oh, man." said Ghost in an exciting tone.

"You sound excited."

"How could I not be?"

"They are prestigious and all, but you earn more working on your own," said Lightning, as she attempts to change his mind.

"I don't care, if they ask me to work for free, I'll gladly do it."

Lightning felt there was no other choice. She allowed Ghost to follow his dreams.

"Well then, once you're extracted, you're heading to Hereford Base in the UK. I already told the director that you're coming. But make sure you stop at the Heiwa Maru. I bet you smell like shit."

She was right. Ghost has been shot at, full of dust, blood, and mud. To show up in a meeting at such condition would tarnish his reputation.

"Roger that, Light, anything else?"

"That will be all Ghost. Over and out."

Ghost shuts the radio off and went back to the girl. However, she had already left. Ghost panics slightly until he saw her running to a man and woman.

"Mommy, Daddy!" The little girl screamed with tears running down her cheeks.

The parents hug their child tightly, refusing to let her go again. The family shed tears of joy after being separated for a week.

"Mr. Ghost, thank you so much for saving my daughter." Said the father

"Likewise, Sir. I barely do anything, your daughter does most of the job."

The father looks at his daughter and smiles.

"I've already sent the payment and some bonus to your account. Thanks again, Mr. Ghost. You are always welcome in our home."

Ghost smiles behind his mask. He prepares to leave the area.

"Ghost, wait! Your phone," called the little girl, as she handed his phone.

"Try and beat my high score!" The girl shouted with enthusiasm.

Ghost smiles at her and can't help to feel proud. She recently got kidnapped by child molesters, witnessed a close quarter combat, and yet she is able to cope with it within the same day. Thankfully the kidnappers didn't do anything physical to her.

The Ghost then nods at the family and took his leave. He heads to the grounded chopper and motioned his pilot to take off. He took a seat in his usual place just near the door. He looks back and waves at the family. The trio waves happily to their savior and wished him good fortune.

"Wholesome family," commented the pilot.

"Yeah." Ghost replied in a low tone, the pilot could barely hear him speak.

The chopper's rotors came to life and it flew off to the sky.

"Mother Base this is RedHawk, we're heading to the Heiwa Maru, over."

"Roger that RedHawk. Save travels."

Ghost waves at the family one last time before closing the door. He sat on the chopper's bench. He rested his head on the walls and shuts his eyes. Ironically, he didn't feel happy. Instead, he felt something heavy in his heart.

He admired and was jealous of kids with a perfect nuclear family. Something that he never had when he was young. Not that his parents passed away, but they were divorced. He had to grow up without parental supervision. He had to learn what's right or wrong the hard way. He had to look into the eyes of the people he had hurt and disappointed. And those eyes were stuck in his mind.

Ye, it gave him the strength and motivation to be a better person. It was his gift and curse. Nonetheless, he still felt sad. With a heavy heart, he shuts his eye and dozed off.

 ** _The Atlantic Ocean_**

 ** _A few hours later_**

The chopper was nearing the ship. It was coated with fog and darkness, the only light was the moon and the chopper's lights. Ghost was already awoken from his sleep. He stared at the water, hoping to find any irregularities.

But after a few minutes, an old whaler ship with a huge letter on the side spelling 'Heiwa Maru' came into view. The ship has been repurposed to a resupply vessel for Ghost Corp. The pilot then turns on his radio, extends his headphone's mic, and contacts the watchtower.

"Heiwa Maru. This is RedHawk. Permission to land over?"

"Affirmative RedHawk, you got helipad 1 over."

The chopper landed softly and Ghost disembarked immediately.

"Get some rest. I'll ask for another transport." Ghost said to the pilot.

"Yes, sir!"

Ghost walked his way to his personal room in the Heiwa Maru, located near the bridge. A group of men who were on patrol saluted him on sight. He finally reached his room. It has been left tidy even though he never use the place a lot. He takes off his clothes and takes a shower. He is still nervous on the upcoming meeting.

 _"_ _What if they change their minds? What if I'm not good enough?"_ Such thoughts flooded his mind. He is indeed afraid of what's to come.

He lets the water drip from his head for awhile until he turns off the shower. He dries his body with a towel and dressed in a business casual outfit. Consisting of a suit jacket, white buttoned shirt, suit pants and a pair of loafers. Enough to make him look like a CEO and a playboy.

He heads to an already-standby Blackhawk. He climbs into the chopper and ordered the pilot to start the engines. And so Ghost continues his journey to Hereford, United Kingdom.

 ** _Hereford Base_**

 ** _A few hours later_**

It is a sunny day in Hereford, United Kingdom. The sky is bright blue, bringing joy to all walks of life on the surface of the Earth. Birds are singing, recruits marching and cars are honking from a distance. But those didn't distract women from staring at the beautiful skies in England.

"Oi Cohen! We're supposed to train, not fooking day dreamin."

Eliza "Ash" Cohen snaps out of her trance and returns to her squad. She is from the counter-terrorist unit FBI SWAT.

Ash finally joins back with the rest of the squad and stands ready. In front of them is an obstacle course. Most of the operators have impressive records and timing. But even a sword would rust if not taken care of. That's why Rainbow train at least once a week. The man leading the training is an old man, approaches the idling operators with a stopwatch in his hand.

"Alright, lads and lasses. You know the drill, run through the course as fast as you can. Go!" The man then blows his whistle.

The operators heard the signal and the first line runs to the first obstacle, which is pull-ups. Each operator is required to do 10 pulls up on the bar. Meghan "Valkyrie" Castellano is the queen in pull-ups. She is able to do it under 20 seconds and moves on to the other obstacle.

The next obstacle is traversing a high wall. Operators are required to work together and help each other to get over the wall. 2 SAS operators run to the wall. They are Mark "Mute" Chandar, and James "Smoke" Porter. They crouched with their back on the wall and readies up. A third man, Seamus "Sledge" Cowden, runs to them and uses Mute and Smoke's arms and backs to get over the wall. Smoke then gets over the wall with the help of Mute and Sledge.

"Alright get up here Mark." Said Sledge whilst extending his hand.

Mute backs up a little bit, then sprints and jumps. Sledge and Smoke manage to catch him and pulls him so they can move on.

The operators continue to train after an hour. The sky is a lot brighter and it gets hotter. The heat is disrupting It's Ash. As she is lying on the ground, exhausted and thirsty, another woman comes into rescue.

"Hey Ash, here, got you a cold one." said the greenhead as she handed her a can of beer in hand.

"Thanks…..Ela." Ash stuttered as she can't speak very well due to lack of energy.

Elzbieta "Ela" Bosak. Part of Poland's GROM. She is the daughter of a very respected individual. She is skilled in combat, engineering, and intimidation. One of the most valuable assets in Rainbow.

Ash finishes the can of beer in a few gulps. The cold liquid brings bliss upon her stomach and spirit. Mind, not so much. Ela joins her friend and sat on the ground next to her.

"So how's life?" Ela suddenly asked.

"Nothing much, just the same old boring routine. Typing random shit on a computer and never actually do something we are trained for."

"I feel you, we're only called during emergencies. Never been on the offensive."

The calm and silent day was shattered to a million pieces as a Blackhawk drew near. It gets louder and louder as it and it reaches the maximum volume when the chopper itself came closer into view. It didn't come with any particular logos or symbols. Perking the curiosity of the redhead and the green haired operators.

"Who's that?" Ash asked Ela, hoping to find some answers.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, an African American woman with guard escort approaches the unmarked hovering bird with a smirk on her face.

Even more shocking when the helicopters seemed to emit a blue light on its exterior walls. It travels in some sort of pattern. They began to realize that it was spelling something. They waited until it finally reveals its name. 'Ghost Corp'. The chopper's door opens up, revealing a dark-skinned man with a business casual suit. Ghost himself.

"Is that….?" Ela whispered to Ash.

"Ghost, The Legendary Soldier here in Hereford, United Kingdom." Ash too was in disbelief.

Ghost disembarks and approaches Six. He extends his hand and met Six's firm hand grip.

"Welcome to Hereford Base, home of Rainbow Six." Six welcomed him.

Ghost only replied with a smile.

"Shall we get to business? Let's talk in my office." Six motioned Ghost to follow her and so he did.

Once both left the field, all operators started to turn to each other and discuss what they had seen. Ela still can't believe what she just saw. Ela slaps herself to see if she was dreaming, but she has no results. Ash chuckles at Ela's antics.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanted to see that it's a dream or not!"

Valkyrie then approaches the two, with the same look of disbelief on her face.

"Was that Ghost?" Asked Valkyrie

"I think so. It's hard to not recognize the man who single-handedly took down one the biggest drug cartels in the world."

"Wonder what's he's doing here." Said Ash.

Meanwhile, Ghost took a sea on the office couch. He made himself comfortable, but it didn't stop his heart from pounding so fast. Six, just a seat across him is busy setting up papers on the coffee table. The situation reminds Ghost of being called by the principal in High School.

"So, Ghost. I'll be straight with you. We would like to hire you. Our reasons varied, but one obvious thing is that we are making slow progress. But a man with your talents and skills should speed things up."

"Say no more, I'm in." Ghost answers simply.

Six was taken aback at his response. Surely a Legendary Soldier like Ghost would ask for more money or another requirement.

"Well, if you say so. But still, I will grant you an extra for your paycheck each month."

"Sure, whatever it takes to work with you guys."

Six smiles at Ghost's answer.

"We're flattered. Anyway, we should introduce you to the rest of the team."


	3. Chapter 2: The Ghost

Ash felt more refreshed after taking a shower. Her body and mind have been reset and more energetic to work. She went to the cafeteria which is already packed with recruits and other operators. She slightly grunts as she dislikes crowds.

With annoyance and anger, she grabs a tray and waited for a small eternity until it was her turn to pick a meal. The cook, James saw the redhead immediately and went to the back to pick up something. The hungry Ash was confused. Why is he running away when clearly it was her turn to get her food? But his intentions were revealed with a plate wrapped in aluminum foil.

"The hell is that?"

"What you asked for last week. Fish tacos, with extra guac and Pinche de Gallo."

She smiles madly when she opens the aluminum foil. A beautiful, delicious looking fish tacos. Soft tortillas, overloaded with guacamole. Ash mentally drools.

"Oh my God. Thank you so much, James!"

"Not a problem."

Ash brings her food and runs to her usual table. Together with her gang. Valkyrie and Ela. Both saw the tacos and drools over the majestic thing. Ash playfully took a bite, seducing them both. Ash giggled and stopped after she is satisfied making fun of her friends. She decided to change the subject. Particularly regarding the mysterious visitor.

"So any news about Ghost? What is he up to here?" Ash asked.

"Didn't hear anything since this morning," Ela said before taking a bite of her salad.

They continue their lunch until Valkyrie remembers something.

"So, are you coming to Castle's party tonight?" Valkyrie asked

"Yeah. You guys?" Ela replied

"I guess so," Ash replies in a low tone. Ela and Valkyrie knew Ash wasn't the partying type.

"It will be great Ash. Don't worry." Valkyrie assured her.

"Yeah but….." Ash's words were cut short by a sudden announcement.

Everybody in the chow hall immediately went quiet and diverted their attention to the announcer

"Ladies and gentlemen, I assume you know who is the person standing next to me right now. He will be your brother in arms. Let's give him a proper welcome yeah?" (BETTER!)

The recruits and operators dropped what they are doing and cheered for the new blood. The sound of hand clapping echoes throughout the cafeteria and died down eventually. Six, thinking Ghost needs a perfect tour guide, saw Ash's group and leads him to them.

"Are they heading this way?" Ash asks her friends

"I think so. What should we do?" Said Ela

"Just stay cool." Suggested Valkyrie.

"Stay cool? What the fuck? He's a fucking star. Gosh, how do I look?" Ela panics.

Before Ash or Valkyrie answer their friend's question, Six and Ghost were right in front of them.

"Ms. Cohen, do you mind if you show our new friend here around the place?"

"Uh…..sure."

Six leaves Ghost to the group.

"Hi, name's Ghost."

Ghost shyly waves his hand. His confidence disintegrated due to the people who were all around staring him

"Hey, Ghost. I'm Eliza Cohen. Nice to meet you."

But for some reason, he regains back his confidence when he heard Ash's voice. Like drinking water when your throat is drier than the sun.

"Nice to meet you too, Eliza."

"Please, call me Ash."

Her smile brings warmth and assurance to Ghost's mind and soul. Ash motions him to sit next to her, and he does so.

"This is Elzbieta, we just call her Ela. She's one of our defending operators. Same goes with Valkyrie over here. Sometimes we just call her Meghan."

"Nice to meet you guys."

Ela giggles and Valkyrie only gave a short answer and a smile.

"Likewise." Said Valkyrie

Ghost and his new friends conversate during the whole lunch period. They exchange backgrounds while simultaneously having a trip down memory lane. One of the topics is Ela and Valkyrie's operation in the middle east. Operation Orange Sky. The elimination of a warlord, without harming any single civilian.

An hour later, the operators begin to leave the chow hall and back to work. Ghost decided to ask Ash for the base tour.

"So, uhh mind showing me around the place?"

"I was thinking about that. Let's go."

Ash and Ghost parted ways with Ela and Valkyrie and starts to head deeper into the base. Ghost still can't believe the fact that he is accepted into Rainbow Six. Like a kid who went to Disneyland for the first time.

There is another thing that caught Ghost's attention. Ash herself. The way she walks, the way she talks. It's like water for the thirsty soul. Not even a day and he has already taken an interest in a girl. But he tries to shove such feelings away. He knows that it's inappropriate.

After a while, the pair reaches their first destination, The gun range. Inside there is almost no soul in sight. Except for one Russian man, tinkering with his rifle.

"Come we should introduce you two." Ash leads Ghost to the man.

"Hey there Cohen. This the new guy?" The Russian asked.

"Yeah. Ghost, Glaz. Glaz, Ghost."

Ghost felt the might of the Russians just by shaking his hand.

"You can call me Timur or just Tim."

"Alright, Tim."

"So, Ghost. I heard about you and how you do in the field. It would be an honor to see it live."

Ghost considers Tim's challenge.

"Sure."

Tim laughs and gets off the table he was sitting.

"Alright, get a weapon from the quartermaster and meet me in booth 7." Tim took his rifle and move to the said booth.

"C'mon this way." Ash leads Ghost to the quartermaster to get his first weapon.

The pair arrives at the quartermaster's station. They saw a slumped body, with drool in her mouth. Ash awkwardly knocks on the glass and it awakes the occupant.

"Oh, Ash. I'm so sorry I was….."

"You alright Jen?" Ash was concerned over the quartermaster's antics.

"Yeah-yeah. I was just a little sleepy...that's….all." Jen saw Ghost standing right in front of her. "Is that Ghost? The Legendary Mercenary?" Jen asked.

"Uhhh….yeah. Sorry, we have to wake you up. You clearly needed the sleep." Ghost hates it when people call him by his title and not his name. It makes him feel awkward.

"Oh! Don't worry about it. Besides, I have you to thank. If Six caught me sleeping on the job, I might get another cleaning duty." Jen responds with a smile.

Ash noted Ghost's attitude.

 _"_ _For a celebrity,_ _he's easily nervous and apologetic. It's really cute. What the fuck am I thinking about? Snap out of it Cohen! He's an honored man."_ Ash both embarrassed and angry at her inner self.

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself yet. My name is Jenny. I'm the quartermaster here." Jenny extends her hand to Ghost.

"Nice to meet you, Jenny." Her positive aura is a refreshing sight for Ghost.

"So what brings you here?"

"I'm the new recruit and I need a gun for the range, you got any assault rifles?"

Jenny steps out of her booth and leads Ghost to the rifles section.

"Well, we have various rifles manufactured all around the world. From Kalashnikovs to Heckler and Koch. You name it, we got it."

Ghost looks around at the shelved rifles. They have a massive collection of rifles. Some are even relics of the two world wars and the cold war. However, Ghost prefers a more modern gun but not recent.

"Hm…...you got an M4?"

"Yes, we do. Follow me."

Jenny leads him to another section of weapons made by American manufacturers.

"M4A1, made by an American weapons manufacturer, Colt. Served in The Gulf War and as the standard issue for US Army officers. Weighing in 6.5 pounds (lbs), not including magazine, or 2.9 Kilogram if you don't like the imperial unit. Uses 5.56mm and with a rate of fire of 700-950 per min." Ghost admired Jenny's knowledge for the weapon. Jenny hands over the weapon to Ghost then went to find a box of 5.56mm box for his gun.

"Alright then let's pick a booth." Said Jenny.

The trio heads to Booth 7 where Glaz is waiting for them. He is still tinkering with his sniper to ensure that it won't jam during a real-life situation.

"Ahhh, an M4? A classic that one." Glaz commented

"Yeah, I like this gun. Impressive and sexy."

Jenny puts the ammo on the table.

"Since you were away picking a weapon. Six comes in and told me to record your performance. There will be 3 tests. Close range, Medium, and Long range. There's no right or wrong...yet. Just show us what you got first."

Ghost puts on a pair of headphone to protect his ears. He then grabs the rifle and tucked a live magazine, steadily pointing the muzzle towards the target. He remembers the golden rule of handling a gun, which Glaz took to notice, and notes down on his little notebook.

"Alright, let's do it." said Ghost

"Okay, ready?"

"Give me the targets."

"3...2...1….Go!"

3 targets appeared a few meters away from Ghost. He shot all 3 on the head and knocks it down. The second set of targets appeared a bit further, but Ghost manages to get another headshot. The last set appeared in a different pattern. The first one is the closest to Ghost. The second one is further away from the first one. And the third one is the furthest. Almost in the back of the range. Ghost managed to get a headshot on the first 2 but not the last one. He needed 2-3 bullets to take it down.

Glaz stops the test. Then he presses the stop button on his phone, so it would stop recording. Ghost unloads the weapon and gives it back to Jenny.

"Amazing Ghost, your aim is a lot better than Cohen's." Glaz's sentence earns him a glare from Ash. "I'm only joking Cohen calm down."

Ash kills her anger down and went back to her emotionless appearance.

"Well that concludes our tour in the range, shall we continue?" Ash asked.

"Yeah sure. See ya later Tim."

" _Proshchay_ (Goodbye)."

Next destination was the base's field. It was incredibly huge. With its own hangar, training building and its own football field for recreation for the soldiers. Ghost admired the whole place. Accompanied by the cool English air.

"This is bigger than I expected." Said Ghost

"Yeah, the same thing I thought of when I first got here." Ash relates

Ghost and Ash continue to stand and enjoys the scenery. Accompanied with slight wind breeze. For some odd reason, Ash enjoys the company and wish they can stay like this a little bit longer.

"Well, it's time to finish our tour with the last destination." Ash's words seem like didn't even reach him. "Ghost?" Ash had to touch Ghost's shoulder to snap him out of his trance.

"What? Oh sure."

"You okay Ghost? You just blanked out on me." Said Ash with a concerned tone.

"It's just….ah it's really nothing. Shall we?"

"Okay. Let's go then."

Both heads inside and to the office. Ghost opens the door for Ash which earns him a smile. Inside the office was a quiet atmosphere. Sounds of keyboard typing fill the air. Coincidentally, Six was there. She saw Ghost and Ash, finished their tour.

"Ghost, how's the tour?"

"It was great. Your operator here showed me every nook and cranny."

Ghost smiles at Ash, making her already red cheeks even redder.

"Well, glad you get a hang of the place. The staff just finished installing your new cubicle. Go on and get a hang of it. After you're done, meet me outside. I think I have a mission for you." Six walks away and leaves the office.

"Well, I'll be over there." Said Ash, while pointing at the northwestern corner of the room.

Ghost took notice on the lonely cubicle. Suddenly the whole office turns into a huge classroom. Filled with whispers about the lesson and sometimes about a guy or gal they find attractive. Then Ghost saw an isolated table used by a lonely boy. Other students either enjoys the lesson or the company, but this boy is the exact opposite. Ghost snaps back to reality and looks at Ash with concern in his eyes.

"That table is pretty isolated."

"Yeah well, I asked for it so I don't get distracted."

Ghost is worried but decided to not show it. They say their goodbyes and

so Ash goes back to her lonely cubicle and sat down. She wiped the sweat that had been building upon her temple. She can't seem to catch a break as her friend comes out of nowhere.

"So, how's the tour?" Her sentence made Ash jump.

"Jesus, you scared me. It went fine."

"He seemed to be happy around you. I sense something wonderful ahead."

"Shut up." Ash's tomato face made a return.

Ela giggled.

"Hey, maybe it's time to settle down huh? He's perfect for you."

Ela leaves Ash's desk with giggles. It echoes throughout the office, and while some take it as a cute thing, some take it as an annoyance. The laughter disappears around a corner, leaving Ash with peace and quiet.

The strange feeling of warmth in her heart still lingers. It brings peace to her mind but it came with worry. She hasn't felt something like this in ages. Why now? Especially why is it targeted at Ghost? She wanted to suppress her feelings down into the deep, dark chasm of her heart. But at the same time, it felt really good. She decides to keep it for awhile. She turns on her computer, with a big smile on her face.

 ** _Hereford Base_**

 ** _1500 Hours_**

Ghost is at the base's field, stands ready as Six and an old veteran, approaches him.

"Reporting for duty ma'am." said Ghost

"At ease Ghost. This is Thatcher, he's the squad leader of Rainbow and my second in command. Your superior officer."

Ghost salutes at the Thatcher.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

"Likewise, should we commence the test ma'am?"

"Yes." Six moves out of the way, revealing the training building. Where Rainbow operators train in CQB situations. "Your first mission is a training practice. Infiltrate a house and eliminate any threats. I trust you know the rules of close quarters combat?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Report to the armory for your weapons. Any questions?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good, dismissed."

Ghost took his leave and back into the base to pick up his gear.

 ** _Hereford Base_**

 ** _1530 Hours_**

Ash is relaxing on her chair while listening to some music. She has already finished all of her work and is currently waiting for dinner. Her feeling for the new recruit still lingers and with the help of her music, it boosted the effects by double. She was in trance, her own personal heaven. Until it was all destroyed by a firm but gentle hand tap to her shoulder.

"Hi there Cohen, You're not gonna watch Ghost first training mission?" Her friend asked.

"Hey Jordan, I don't even know that he's going to train today. Thought it's gonna be tomorrow or something."

Jordan Trace or Thermite is one of her friends in FBI SWAT and her squad leader. Both have been watching each other's back and developed a strong bond in the process.

"Well, would you watch with me?"

Ash looks at her computer to check for unfinished tasks.

"Sure."

Ash turns off her computer. The pair heads to the base's CQB exercise building. Once they have arrived, they took a seat at the observation alongside with Ela and Valkyrie.

"Hey Ash, Jordan." Greets Ela

"Hey." Said Ash and Jordan in unison.

"You're just in time, it's about to start." Said Valkyrie

Ghost stands ready in front of the building. Before commencing the simulation, he pulls out a skull mask and puts it on. Bringing fear to his enemies.

"Looks like Caveira has a match." Jordan's joke earns him laughter but not from Caveira. Who stares at him with a terrifying gaze. He learns his lesson that day.

Meanwhile, Ghost puts on a special pair of glasses. It helps the user to analyze the environment, the amount of ammo they have, enemy positions and is able to create a nearly accurate tactical decision in combat. One of Ghost Corp's wonder tech. He checks the attire again, makes sure his sneaking suit, doesn't have any flaws. With everything ready, he gave a thumbs up to Thatcher, to start the simulation.

His objective is to neutralize all enemies in the building. He thinks the best strategy is to breach from the basement. Ghost moves to the entrance. He taps the glasses and it turns to thermal vision. He detected 5 enemies in the basement. One in the meeting room, three in the lockers and another two in the storage. He noticed the wall next to the door is made of wood. Which means he can take down the guard in the meeting room. While minimizing his presence. He aims and fires at the guard. Now he can enter the building.

So far the operators enjoyed the show. Some make comments on his tactics, some criticize and some compliment. However, Valkyrie's got a different show. Ash's expression is more than entertainment for her.

"Yo why you so tense?" Valkyrie finally asked.

"Nothing..nothing." Ash lied.

"Ooooh scared that he's going to get himself in trouble?" Valkyrie teases her.

"No! I-I'm sure he can handle himself."

"Ah, so our always-pissed-off attacker is having a crush on the new guy."

"No!"

"Ash your face says otherwise." Ela chimes in.

Ash hides her face and looks away from her friends.

"Shut up." Ash's voice muffled through her hands.

Meanwhile, Ghost is already nearing the top floor. He was about to climb the last set of stairs until he heard a series of beeps.

 _"_ _Bombs, shit."_

He is forced to find another way. However, he can't take too long, as it was a minute left on the clock. Without hesitation, he jumps out from the nearest window and shoots a grappling hook onto the roof. The device pulled him in mid-air and safely bringing him to the roof.

His insane stunt made Ash panic and scream. Her antics are noticed by everybody in the booth, including Six and Thatcher. When she realizes that she is being watched, her inner mind disintegrated and went back into hiding behind her hands.

Ghost went to one of the walls and placed a breaching charge. The recruits inside were caught off guard. Before they can do anything, a rubber bullet hit their heads. Ghost's luck was about to run out when he heard a click on his weapon. Without hesitation, he resorted to CQC. He grabs one of the recruits and disarmed his weapon in a split second. The powerless recruit is thrown to his friend, eliminating them both. And with that, the simulation ends.

"You alright pal?" Ghost helps the recruit he just beat up.

"Yes, sir. We had worse."

The recruits salute Ghost and left the building. Ghost follows them but he stops in his path when he saw Six and Thatcher.

"Good job mate. You left quite the impression on others." Said Thatcher

"Thank you, sir."

"You're definitely Rainbow material. Rest now, tomorrow's a big day." Said Six before taking her leave.

"That means there's a mission." Said Thatcher before leaving too.

Ghost takes off his glasses and mask. Putting them in a box provided by Jenny. He then saw his new friend approaches him.

"Ghost! That was amazing." Ela cheered

"Yeah, that mid-air grappling shit was nuts! Like fucking Batman." Said Valkyrie

People think that Ghost will be happy when he heard the compliments. But no, his confidence is destroyed. He tried to shield his embarrassment by looking away or rubbing the back of the head while awkwardly smiling.

"What do you think Ash? Don't you agree he did amazingly well?" Asked Thermite while nudging.

She wishes that Thermite was taken by a storm. His sentence clearly not helping her in any way.

"Shit didn't think we have met yet. Jordan Trace or Thermite." Jordan extends his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Jordan." Ghost gave him a smile.

"Well, let's head back. C'mon Ghost." Said Valkyrie.

Ghost follows the group until noticing Ash stayed behind. He approaches her and lightly taps her shoulder, breaking her trance.

"Hey, you alright?" Said Ghost in a worried tone.

"Yeah-yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

Ash tries to look away.

"It's just your stunt, it worried me. Why would you do such a thing?"

"Sometimes I have to make a quick escape or entrance. It's not really accurate but it's fast. Took me a lot of time to get it perfect. Took a lot of scars too." He rolls his sleeve and showed a big scar, one that made Ash cringed. She covers her mouth and touched the scar. It was pretty big, indicating that the wound was deep. "Something lodged in when I fell, a piece of metal."

Ash still rubs the scar, hoping it will soon recover

"I-I'm sorry."

"Meh, it's nothing."

Valkyrie and the gang saw the duo conversing from a distance.

"She definitely likes him." Said Valkyrie

"Yup." Ela and Thermite said in unison.

And the day continues on….

 ** _Hereford Base_**

 ** _1800 hours_**

After the training Ghost took a shower. While the shower in Hereford is nothing like Mother Base, it doesn't seem to be bad. He then puts on standard army t-shirt and combat pants and boots. With the SAS logo on the back. Ghost still doesn't believe it. He is wearing a SAS uniform, one of the best Special Forces in the world. The fact puts his mind at ease.

He then hears his stomach grumble. He checks the time and it is just in time for dinner. The crowd is at its peak. Looks like Hereford has a lot of hungry souls. Ghost went to James to get a Burrito Bowl and a bottle of cold beer. He took a seat where he sat this afternoon. After a few minutes, Jordan joins him.

"Hey man. Mind me sitting here?"

"Nah man, go ahead."

Thermite sat down with his dinner. He remembers something.

"Hey Ghost, we're gonna have a party tonight at Castles. Wanna come?"

Ghost's eyes lit up.

"I would love to, but I don't know this Castle yet."

"Don't worry about it. I asked him if I can invite you and he said no problem. It's gonna be fun, I'm sure."

Ghost agrees to attend the party, as it would be a great opportunity to meet the other operators.

"Sure, but I have something to take care of first. So meet you there?"

"Sure, come by at 7."

With that, Ghost leaves Thermite alone and heads to his room to contact Lightning back at Mother Base. He closes the door behind him and unplugged his charging phone and calls his friend. Beep after beep, she picks up the call.

"Claire, how's my luggage?"

"It's going to arrive by tomorrow morning. How's Rainbow?"

"It's pretty cool."

"Pretty cool? That's your reaction?"

"Okay, it's uh…refreshing. It's nice to fight for something and someone rather than yourself, every once in a while."

"That's good to know. But remember Ghost, you still have men back in Mother Base. Come visit sometime so they don't miss you. You know what happens if…."

"Yeah, yeah, moral's gonna drop. I'll keep that in mind."

"Good, well you need anything else?"

"No, that will be all."

"Okay." Lightning sighed. "Take care, Ghost. I'll…..nevermind. Just.. goodbye."

Lightning puts her phone down and lies back on the bed. She picks up a pillow and hugs it tight. She has something she desperately wanted to express. She wishes for the pain in her chest to go away. Only one man lingers in her mind. Ghost.

Ghost was on the way to Castle's quarters when he spotted a lone girl loitering in the hallway. It was Ash. Dressed in purple jacket and yoga pants. With her hair let loose and gently sway on her shoulders.

"Hey there, Ghost, are you going to Castle's party?" asked Ash.

"Yeah, actually. You coming too?"

"Yeah. To be honest I don't want to come. I hate parties."

"Then, why bother coming?"

"Cause Ela and Valkyrie are gonna be there. I swear I hate them, they can sell ice to Eskimos."

Ghost chuckles at Ash's answer.

"Well, it's almost 7, shall we head there together?" Ash offered.

"Sure."

The journey was rather awkward. Silence shrouds them both and made them uncomfortable. Ash, can't take it anymore and breaks the silence.

"So..Where are you from Ghost?"

"Indonesia. In a city next to Jakarta called Bekasi."

"Oh, is it nice there?"

"Heh, it's bland. Nothing interesting at all. For years I wanted to move out from there. Not just from the city, but the whole country. And I did. What about you Ash?"

"I'm from Israel, Jerusalem."

"Huh? Thought you were American."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Heard you guys are required to join the military."

"Yeah, that's how I ended up in the FBI SWAT. Then Rainbow Six. What about you? What did you do before creating Ghost Corp?"

"That's a long story. One day over a pint of beer, I'll tell you." Ghost then knock on Castle's door, who welcomes the pair.

"Hey, there you must be Ghost. I'm Miles "Castle" Campbell."

"Nice to meet you, Miles."

Miles smiles at his new acquaintance. He also surprised to see the sight of Ash.

"It seems you brought yourself a girlfriend too." Castle's sentence earns him a glare from the female operator. "Hahahaha, I'm just fucking with you guys. Come on in. Don't be shy."

Ghost's presence significantly affected the atmosphere of the party. So naturally, every guest greeted him upon sight.

"Hey look, the FNG's here." Said a bearded man

"Hell yeah!" Said Thermite

Barely 5 minutes into the party, Ghost is already well accepted. He sat down with the boys and the night went on….


End file.
